‘Over the course of our nation’s history, we have faced inflection points — times when we had to decide who we are as a country and what we stand for. Now is such a time. Beyond policy disagreements and partisan gamesmanship, there is something much more fundamental hanging in the balance. Will we remain faithful to our country’s core values?’

That’s the opening question former Attorney General Sally Yates, who was given the boot by President Trump earlier this year for defying his travel ban, posed on Tuesday in her op-ed for USA Today.

Yates, who was named attorney general under President Obama, never mentioned Trump by name, but she essentially spent almost 900 words railing against the wrong turn she believes our country has taken under his leadership.

“There is something else that separates us from an autocracy, and that’s truth. There is such a thing as objective truth,” Yates wrote. “We can debate policies and issues, and we should. But those debates must be based on common facts rather than raw appeals to emotion and fear through polarizing rhetoric and fabrications.”

She’s clearly referring to the concept of “alternative facts,” which has hung over this administration since Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway first used those words back in January with regards to the inauguration crowds.

Yates went on to delve into “the values that unite us” and highlighted the Preamble to our Constitution as a reminder:

“We the people of the United States(we are a democratic republic, not a dictatorship)in order to form a more perfect union(we are a work in progress dedicated to a noble pursuit)establish justice(we revere justice as the cornerstone of our democracy)insure domestic tranquility (we prize unity and peace, not divisiveness and discord), provide for the common defense(we should never give any foreign adversary reason to question our solidarity)promote the general welfare(we care about one another; compassion and decency matter)and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity(we have a responsibility to protect not just our own generation, but future ones as well).”

Yates explained that shared values include another crucial principle: the rule of law, and that’s “the promise that the law applies equally to everyone, that no person is above it, and that all are entitled to its protection. This concept of equal protection recognizes that our country’s strength comes from honoring, not weaponizing, the diversity that springs from being a nation of Native Americans and immigrants of different races, religions and nationalities.”

Then she really let Trump have it regarding the investigation into Russian collusion.

“The rule of law depends not only on things that are written down, but also on important traditions and norms, such as apolitical law enforcement,” Yates wrote. “That’s why Democratic and Republican administrations alike, at least since Watergate, have honored that the rule of law requires a strict separation between the Justice Department and the White House on criminal cases and investigations. This wall of separation is what ensures the public can have confidence that the criminal process is not being used as a sword to go after one’s political enemies or as a shield to protect those in power. It’s what separates us from an autocracy.”

So finished her piece with a call to action, saying “we are not living in ordinary times,” and that citizen’s need “stand up” and “speak out” rather than just admire our country’s core values from afar.

“Our country’s history is littered with individuals and factions who have tried to exploit our imperfections, but it is more powerfully marked by those whose vigilance toward a more perfect union has prevailed,” Yates said. “Our country needs all of us to raise our collective voices in support of our democratic ideals and institutions. That is what we stand for. That is who we are. And with a shared commitment to our founding principles, that is who we will remain.”

Shawn
Langlois

Shawn Langlois is an editor and writer for MarketWatch in Los Angeles. Follow him on Twitter @slangwise.

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